Discograffiti

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives.  In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), the great Mark Robinson (of Unrest, Grenadine, Air Miami, Flin Flon, Uncomfortable Police, et al), and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. If you’re a long-time listener, then you know that Dave has harbored a long-time hatred of Billy Joel…so why the sudden turnaround in taste? Part 6 covers the time after his divorce, a time when most people tend to sit around and sulk, but not Billy—he dated multiple supermodels, settled down with one, and became happy to an extent that managed to prove conclusively that great art absolutely can not be created by very happy people. And he also managed to make and release An Innocent Man and The Bridge.  The goal for this and the next episode was to make great art about bad art, to create two podcast episodes in inverse qualitative proportion to the rock bottom records being discussed. Mark and Dave accomplished their goal. Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast: That time when Billy’s music became more ubiquitous than oxygen, and how he—and more importantly we—dealt with that; The various acts and song styles that Billy co-opted to create An Innocent Man; The unfortunate, damaging effect that An Innocent Man had on Dave’s perception of Billy Joel and his music, until only recently; The wildly successful Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2, which went double diamond and whose two new tracks both became hits; The heavy Huey Lewis & The News, Sting, and Cyndi Lauper vibe of The Bridge; And an in-depth deep dive on every song off An Innocent Man and The Bridge. Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.  The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features a plethora of additional essential material. Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version. Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link. The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, we feature the next entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series. By now, Beach Boy Bruce Johnston has retired from being interviewed, so this epic, unheard 2001 interview for Chuck Granata’s Pet Sounds book is absolutely priceless…especially seeing as his fanboy love for Chuck’s Frank Sinatra book wound up contributing to a level of unvarnished honesty that’s super-rare for The Beach Boy universe.  Here’s just a few of the many things that Bruce discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast: Bruce’s opinion of Smiley Smile; What it’s like to be scolded in a session and to have it actually make the final mix; Bruce’s efforts to promote Pet Sounds in England at the time; Bruce’s advice to Chuck on how best to approach the various Beach Boys in order to get the most out of his interviews with them; And the roles that the group members played, both in the vocal blend and in their importance to Brian. There’ll be a short sneak peak running publicly for free, but the entirety of this podcast will only be accessible on the Major Tier of Discograffiti’s Patreon. Don’t miss it, or you’ll only be getting part of the story. Get it as a one-off, or better yet just subscribe…and then we’ll all have world peace. Full Episode: Patreon.com/Discograffiti (available on the Major Tier & up) Free Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti Subscribe to Discograffiti's Patreon and receive a ceaseless barrage (4 shows a week!) of must-hear binge-listening. It’s completely free to be a basic member, $1 to get your backstage pass, $5/month for the weekly Sunday show by & for our community, $10 for weekly early release, ad-free, super-extended Director's Cuts of the main show plus access to half our Patreon episode archive, & $20 for Discograffiti’s weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire Patreon episode archive. There are now over 300 Patreon episodes.

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives.  In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), the great Mark Robinson (of Unrest, Grenadine, Air Miami, Flin Flon, Uncomfortable Police, et al), and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. If you’re a long-time listener, then you know that Dave has harbored a long-time hatred of Billy Joel…so why the sudden turnaround in taste? Discograffiti’s Mark Robinson Tackles Billy Joel (But Only Metaphorically) Series dissects every last release Billy Joel’s ever had a hand in creating. Part 5 covers the last two records that Billy made before marrying Christie Brinkley and entering his tabloid uber-superstar phase: Glass Houses and The Nylon Curtain.  Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast: Which of us—Mark or Dave—feels like there isn’t a single bad song on Glass Houses; The song Billy Joel considers the worst he’s ever written, and why he wrote it; An overview of Billy’s live album, Songs In The Attic; The recording of which Billy is most proud; The moment that for Billy led directly to his first divorce; The lengthy evolution of “Allentown”; The one time that Billy Joel tried heroin, and the song he wrote about it; And an in-depth deep dive on every song off Glass Houses and The Nylon Curtain. Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.  If you’re a Mark Robinson & Billy Joel superfan like me, The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features 6 additional minutes of essential material.  Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version. Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link. The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, we feature the next entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series. It’s Chuck’s dizzyingly inspired chat with legendary producer Mark Linett, the producer and audio engineer best known for his remixing and remastering of The Beach Boys’ catalog. Since 1988, he’s been the engineer of choice for Brian Wilson’s recordings. In 1996, Linett created the first true stereo mix of Pet Sounds. He’s also co-produced nearly all of the band's archival releases, including 1997’s The Pet Sounds Sessions, 1998’s Endless Harmony Soundtrack, 2003’s Hawthorne, CA, and 2011’s The Smile Sessions, as well as the Feel Flows (2021) and Sail On Sailor (2022) box sets.  In addition to earning three Grammy Awards, he was nominated for Best Engineered Album for his work on 2004’s Brian Wilson Presents Smile. He’s also worked with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Los Lobos, Rickie Lee Jones, and Randy Newman.  This is Chuck’s lengthy and consistently fascinating interview with Mark from the early 2000’s for his Pet Sounds book…stay tuned for my own more recent interview, which covers completely different territory. There’ll be a short sneak peak running publicly for free, but the entirety of this podcast will only be accessible on the Major Tier of Discograffiti’s Patreon. Don’t miss it, or you’ll only be getting part of the story. Get it as a one-off, or better yet just subscribe…and then we’ll all have world peace. Full Episode: Patreon.com/Discograffiti (available on the Major Tier & up) Free Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti Subscribe to Discograffiti's Patreon and receive a ceaseless barrage (4 shows a week!) of must-hear binge-listening. It’s completely free to be a basic member, $1 to get your backstage pass, $5/month for the weekly Sunday show by & for our community, $10 for weekly early release, ad-free, super-extended Director's Cuts of the main show plus access to half our Patreon episode archive, & $20 for Discograffiti’s weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire Patreon episode archive. There are now over 400 Patreon episodes.

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives.  In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), the great Mark Robinson (of Unrest, Grenadine, Air Miami, Flint Flon, Uncomfortable Police, et al), and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. If you’re a long-time listener, then you know that Dave has harbored a long-time hatred of Billy Joel…so why the sudden turnaround in taste? Discograffiti’s Mark Robinson Tackles Billy Joel (But Only Metaphorically) Series dissects every last release Billy Joel’s ever had a hand in creating. Part 4 covers the first couple records that Billy made after becoming a superstar: 52nd Street and Glass Houses.  Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast: The vibe and feel that Billy Joel was shooting for on the first album he made after becoming a superstar; The rock star’s wife about whom he wrote “Big Shot”; The song that Billy referred to as “the most bullshit song I ever wrote”; A debate over whether “My Life” inspired the sitcom Bosom Buddies or vice versa; The beginning of Billy’s struggle to maintain quality across side two of his albums; Billy’s wild and wacky swerve from jazz to punky new wave; The huge hit whose lyrics he dashed off lightning quick on the car ride to the studio; And an in-depth deep dive on every song off 52nd Street and the first side of Glass Houses. Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.  If you’re a Mark Robinson & Billy Joel superfan like me, The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features 6 additional minutes of essential material.  Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version. Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link. The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti